Right on Target

While it is not unusual for a James Madison University student to set
goals for their college career, it is a bit unusual to accomplish those
goals by the end of sophomore year. Harrisonburg native Daniel Suter
entered JMU two years ago determined to pursue his passion for archery.
His goals were lofty: win Indoor Nationals, win Outdoor Nationals and
make the World Team. Check, check and check.

Suter started shooting at age 6 to spend more time outdoors with his
dad. His love for the sport grew and at age 14 his dad introduced him
to Bob Ryder, coach of JMU's archery team. Ryder encouraged the young
Suter to pursue target shooting. Ryder says the father and son share a
love of archery, their values, their work ethic and their absolute
obsession with fixing what's wrong. "In a sport as complex and
demanding of an individual as archery that obsession helps set Daniel
apart from his fellow competitors," said Ryder.

Suter, a member of JMU's Archery Club, shoots in the men's compound
division. "Compound" refers to the type of bow the archer uses. A
compound bow is a modern bow that maximizes energy by using pulleys to
bend the limbs. The JMU team participates in the East region of the
U.S. Collegiate Archery Association, an organization that governs
recreational and elite archery at the college level.

Although Suter came to JMU and the Archery Club with significant
experience, no prior knowledge of the sport is required to join. "The
majority of our team doesn't know the sport when they get to JMU," said
team president Amanda Miller.

Miller, double majoring in statistics and math from Barrington,
N.J., says the team recruits new members at Student Organization Night
in September. The fall is spent introducing the sport and practicing.
"We teach you everything you need to know," said Miller. The spring is
when competition season intensifies.

Both Suter and Miller credit the club's positive atmosphere for
making competitions fun. Miller says JMU's club has "the best bond out
of every school." Suter concurs. "When one person is shooting, if you
look behind them there is a sea of purple," he said. "Our whole team is
behind you."

The JMU team was definitely behind Suter when they hosted the USCA
US Intercollegiate Archery Championships on campus May 17–20. Coming
off a win in the indoor competition earlier in the spring, Suter's smile
lights up his face when he talks about winning the outdoor competition
on his home field surrounded by teammates, friends and family.

The 2012 World Team was selected on May 19 at the team trials held
in conjunction with the Championship tournament. The World Team will
represent USCA and the United States in Cordoba, Spain in July. Suter
will lead the three-man compound team in a shoot lasting three days.

What happens after you've accomplished your goals? For Suter the
answer is "set new ones." Ryder, who retired at the end of the season,
said " Right now I believe the only thing that could keep Daniel from
becoming one of the top archers in the world would be for him to choose
to make archery a lower priority in his life." Suter is definitely not
going to let that happen. He's already set his sights on winning the
collegiate world competition and after that he said, "I want to be a
teacher, set up an archery pro-shop, qualify for the senior USA archery
team and become a professional shooter."